Some questions i have on the impending release of dreadnoughts and maybe monitors1: Dates? when are we actually getting these unit types, will they ship out with destroyers?2:what roles do these classes really fill? I am aware the dreads are supposed to be the BBs bigger brother, but how much bigger are we talking? Are BBs gonna be useless after these guys come out, since the whole point was paying for what is supposed to be the #1 choice in slugfests3:how pricey are they going to be, i've heard somewhere in the realm of 500 pts, but that sounds a bit insane for 1 ship. Does anybody actually know?4:Stats, what will they be like? safe to assume like a Tankier battleship right, so what kind of guns are we talking, the kiev destroyer description says its guns are on dreads so i guess we know that much at least, but anything else? increased scan/sig by how much hull, armor, movement ,special rules etc5:Monitors; i've heard this name thrown around a couple times but i'm not super sure on what the purpose is supposed to be, something like a moving space station? or an atmospheric gunship?

1: UK GamesExpo is planned for showing prototypes 3D printed. Release is Q4 ish2: Super Carrier with Launch 15 of ??? for UCMUber weapons platforms. Check BoW video at Salute to hear it from Dave.3; 500pts with a special rule to allow them in 1250lists.4; Battleship bulk X 1.5 or even 2. Sig 24" in that range5: No clue

Also, agreeing with Prowler; Battleships are already rarely picked because of their signature, unless they're exceedingly powerful like the Diamond. I can barely imagine using something that can be shot at 3/4 across the battlespace, even if it can delete two and a half cruisers a turn. Shaltari straight up get 48" range against such a dreadnought (with a major spike, of course), which is 70% of the entire board's diagonal.

That said, at such a massive signature increase rather than only a 18" or less, I'm sure there's some disgustingly good systems on them. In reference to a 500 point, 15 launch super carrier, that'd make it the third most efficient carrier in the game, right after the Hydra and Vancouver!

But even if it is 15 launch for 500 pts you have close too all your launch centered on one big easy target that'll be spiking itself every turn, so maybe the dreads will have special rules pertaining to this?

I haven't seen the BoW video yet, but I did have a chat to Dave at Salute, who told me much the same stuff. Other things he said:

- He had designed 3 of the 4 dreadnoughts, with just PHR to do (at time of Salute).- Points will be between 500 and 600 at the top end.- They aren't designed around a single "superweapon" (like the Diamond), but instead have a lot of separate weapons (Dave said the Shaltari dreadnought has 8 weapon profiles!). The philosophy of these ships is Weapons Free as much as possible, or you won't get sufficient value out of them.- Speed will be the same as the battleships.- Hull will be 26, with PHR being 30.- There will be 2+ armour for at least some of the dreads.- They will be in the Super Heavy tonnage class (like battleships).

Obviously this is all subject to change until they release them, but this is what Dave was thinking when I spoke to him.

ad 5. Monitors are frigate/destroyer size ships with no FTL, low speed but good weapons and armour (2+). There have been a talk with Andy Chambers on facebook about making them atmospheric fortresses able to take down multiple strike carriers a turn.